UNMIK chief calls for resolving outstanding issues through dialogue

PRISTINA - Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and UNMIK Head Caroline Ziadeh on Tuesday voiced "serious concern" over recent developments impacting the economic and social rights of Serbs and other non-majority communities in Kosovo-Metohija and called for all issues to be discussed within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

In a statement released by the UN mission in Kosovo-Metohija, Ziadeh called for "outstanding issues to be discussed within the framework of the EU-facilitated Dialogue, including appropriate time to allow for effective communication and adequate outreach to affected communities beforehand."

"The SRSG reiterates UNMIK’s unwavering commitment for the respect and protection of human rights for all communities, including the principle of equality and non-discrimination, which is one of the pillars of Kosovo’s human rights framework," the statement said.

On January 17, Pristina announced the euro would become the only legal tender for cash transactions in Kosovo-Metohija from February 1.

In response, Belgrade has requested an extraordinary UNSC session over the move and the overall situation in Kosovo-Metohija and said Pristina's abolition of the Serbian dinar was illegal and represented a "continuity of measures of brutal physical and institutional violence against Serbs."